The fourth murder for the Corozal District for this year took place on Thursday evening in the village of Paraiso. Thirty-seven year old Delmar Guerra was trailed and executed by two men on a motorcycle a short distance from where he lived. He had just parked his vehicle at a house where he went to […]
Late this evening, San Joaquin resident, Delmar Guerra was shot multiple times as he drove a van through the village of Paraiso, Corozal. Guerra was ambushed by a pair of men on motorcycles and was killed execution style. Back in 2013, an attempt was made on his life while the businessman was in Calderita, Chetumal. […]
The much anticipated Istanbul talks are over and done with, but there is no definitive resolution and certainly no protocols coming out of those very high-level discussions. A release sent out by government speaks of recommitment to peace and stability and the recognition that there is need for protocols governing the Sarstoon – not exactly […]
The fact is that if Guatemala agrees to any protocols with equitable use of the Sarstoon as an end point, it would represent a significant back-tracking. In past months the Guatemalans, both military and diplomats, have run to a so-called status quo for cover – a status quo which they say requires that Belizean civilians, […]
Both positions are polar opposites, so the next step is actually to the point where concrete protocols enter the equation. We’ve actually been there. On April eighth Belize presented eleven Sarstoon protocols which were promptly and roundly rejected by Guatemala. More than six weeks after, both countries are preparing to get back to that point. […]
The incident in Chiquibul in which a Guatemalan minor was shot also made it to the negotiating table in Istanbul. Following that incident, Guatemalan officials including President Jimmy Morales, Foreign Minister Carlos Raul Morales and Defense Minister Williams Mansilla unleashed a blistering condemnation of Belize and at one point even lashed out at Prime Minister […]
And finally, in our coverage of the Istanbul talks, we asked Courtenay about the ongoing investigation into that Chiquibul incident. The OAS launched one at the request of Guatemalan authorities, but since then no information has been forthcoming. Eamon Courtenay, Opposition’s Representative, Belize Delegation “My understanding is that the O.A.S. is taking the steps […]
The International Monetary Fund (I.M.F.) has issued a report at the end of its most recent visit to Belize which concluded this Wednesday. The team was led by Jacques Bouhga-Hagbe and its preliminary report does not inspire economic confidence. The IMF says that the economy is slowing while fiscal and external vulnerabilities are rising. G.D.P. […]
Today, the Belize Police Department is reeling from the sudden death of one of their own, Police Constable Edwardo Gonzalez – not in the line of duty, but allegedly by his own hand. The terrible, shocking tragedy unfolded at the Queen Street Police Station in the early hours of this morning, when the quiet was […]
That suicide this morning follows what we are told was an attempt by another police officer on Monday. In that case the officer allegedly ingested some form of poison, reportedly in an attempt to take his own life. He wasn’t successful and today his boss, Commander Chester Williams told News Five that he is expected […]
When and if that officer does recover, he will be placed into counseling which is provided by the Employee Assistance Program. It’s a twenty-four hour service available to those within the Police Department who may need real help, or just to talk to someone. According to ACP Dezerie Phillips, supervisors play a critical role in […]
That counseling is sorely needed by officers who deal with long hours at a very difficult job. The suicide and attempted suicide this week highlight the need. But there’s some dissent as to where that help should come from. Two of the Belize District’s top cops are of two completely different minds when it comes […]
On Sunday at the ITVET in Belize City, the United Democratic Party will be holding a special convention to elect a First Deputy Leader. Belmopan Area Representative John Saldivar is contesting the post and is running against Patrick Faber of the Collet Division. Both camps have led spirited campaigns, but the outcome of several weeks […]
There is another confirmed case of zika in Belize. Late this evening, the Ministry of Health issued a release confirming that another patient has tested positive for the virus. This second case is being closely monitored by the Ministry of Health staff, however, because the sample was that of a pregnant woman from Cayo and […]
On May twelfth, nineteen-year-old Zachry Knox allegedly fired three shots at Assistant Commissioner of Police Chester Williams during a high speed chase in the city. Knox was picked up that same night and has been charged for attempted murder, but two weeks after, he still hasn’t been arraigned in Court. There’s a reason for that. […]
There’s a lot of news tonight revolving out of Belize/Guatemala talks and the Sarstoon – perhaps the most sensational being that G.O.B. has revoked the Sarstoon Prohibition S.I., that piece of legislation which made it illegal for Belizeans to go into the Sarstoon. According to a release from the press office, quote, Government’s decision comes […]
That’s big news indeed, since the Sarstoon has remained a potential flashpoint for months. So that brings us to the Istanbul talks, scheduled for May twenty-first. We’re told they didn’t happen then, but actually on Monday and today with the participation of Magdalena Talamas representing O.A.S. Secretary-General Luis Almagro. Looking at a release on those […]
While those talks were supposed to be happening on Saturday, the P.U.P. had planned a trip to the Sarstoon. They claimed that it was an educational trip as opposed to a political trip, though the intent to send dual messages of protest to the Belize and Guatemala governments was clear. The trip never materialized, and […]
The revocation of the Sarstoon Prohibition SI comes only four days after it was challenged in Court by the People’s United Party, and three days after the P.U.P. planned an educational trip to the Sarstoon to protest the SI on the ground, so to speak. The expedition was cancelled at the eleventh hour, and today […]
So what’s the P.U.P. position on the big news coming out of the Istanbul breakthrough? That agreement between both foreign ministers that Belizean military and civilians will be allowed to traverse the Sarstoon unhindered? The Opposition actually has a representative in Istanbul, Senator Eamon Courtenay, and notwithstanding Government’s releases, today Deputy Leader Hyde told News […]
The P.U.P. may not be showing much enthusiasm just yet, but for Ministry of National Security C.E.O. George Lovell the agreement is a welcome one. We’ve all seen the footage where Guatemalan forces descended on the B.D.F.’s Forward Operating Base, and it wasn’t to borrow sugar from a good neighbor. We’ve also seen footage of […]
The father of P.U.P. leader John Briceño passed away at midnight on Saturday after a long illness. Elijio Joe Briceño was a former Minister of Government, and as such will be laid to rest on Wednesday with all the pomp and ceremony of an official funeral. Today, Deputy Leader Hyde told News Five that he […]
Another Ladyville resident is tonight on remand, following a shootout last Saturday on Marage Road during which twenty-one-year-old mechanic Lionel Rhamdas was killed. Thirty-one-year-old Alrick Smith has been charged for a plot to assassinate an entire Ladyville family in the wake of his brother-in-law’s killing. News Five’s Duane Moody reports. Duane Moody, Reporting He […]
Investigations are ongoing into the deadly exchange of gunfire which claimed the life of Lionel Rhamdas. In that shooting, at least three firearms were involved and police had initially recovered only one, a nine millimeter handgun that was on the ground beside the body of Rhamdas. Assistant Commissioner of Police and Rural Eastern Division Commander […]
On May tenth, two Bulgarian nationals were charged for an unusual theft – using fake credit cards to withdraw cash from Belize Bank ATMs. Jeorgi Petrov and Halid Aptula would have gotten away with it too, but on May seventh when they visited the Belize Bank ATM on Albert Street to make an illegal withdrawal, […]
